1.Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a floor mat having flexible rails wherein each rail includes cushioned cleaning structures and a plurality of removal openings between adjacent structures.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A variety of grills, grates, grids and mats for floors have been developed for removing dirt, water, and other foreign matter from the footwear of persons walking thereover. Such devices are typically placed adjacent the entrances of buildings in order to prevent intrusion of such foreign matter.
Some types of prior art floor mats provide a number of upstanding cleaning structures such as ridges or the like which dislodge foreign matter from footwear as a person steps thereon. The capacity of such floor mats to accumulate foreign matter is generally limited by the amount which can be retained in the spaces between the cleaning structures.
Other types of prior art floor mats resemble spaced-apart, interconnected rubber coated links which provide spaces between the links to accumulate foreign matter. Such floor mats, however, do not provide effective upstanding cleaning structures to dislodge foreign matter from the footwear of persons walking thereover.
To solve these problems some prior art floor mats incorporate sections of carpet or upstanding fibers which are effective in dislodging foreign matter from footwear and are also effective in providing a cushioned surface which flexes when trod upon and which enhances the cleaning ability of the carpet or fiber. Such carpet-type floor mats are ideal for many applications but are more difficult to clean than rubber or vinyl floor mats and are usually more expensive. Additionally, carpettype floor mats are typically not reversible.